YOUNG PEOPLE BELIEVE THEIR AGE IS A BARRIER TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT, SAYS SURVEY

A study of 1,000 young people has found that 26% believe they were not considered for jobs in spite of their qualif...

A study of 1,000 young people has found that 26% believe they were not considered for jobs in spite of their qualifications because they were seen as too young, reports The Financial Times (p2).

The survey, published today by the Employers Forum on Age with Sanders and Sidney, a career consultancy, also found that a quarter of respondents said they would have to leave their current employer to gain promotion.

Ruth Jarratt of the Employers Forum on Age said: 'These findings are a clear message that young workers are held back by ageist attitudes.'

The government launched a voluntary code of practice on ageism in the workplace a year ago but it has been criticised as ineffective, notably in stopping the number of working men over 50.

Today's survey found that 60% of young people thought the government could do more to combat ageism. Sally Davis, a director of Sanders and Sidney, said the findings showed that 'people at every level in organisations offer potential which is being under-used'.

More than half the survey respondents believed older workers could learn from younger colleagues in areas such as new technology.

Increasing numbers of young people are being targeted in smaller towns and rural areas for ‘county lines’ exploitation in which gangs make them sell drugs in other areas, the most comprehensive report into the problem has found.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is Whitehall’s second worst performer for staff retention, disrupting policy development and delivery of projects, a new report from the Institute for Government has found. .

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